Steadily increasing requirements are imposed on shifting devices for automatic transmissions in terms of operating comfort. Therefore, there has been an increasing trend to additionally provide also manual shifting functions, besides the conventional automatic shifting functions. A second, separate shift gate is required for this in the shifting device. The selection of this shift gate makes it possible for the driver of the vehicle to shift the transmission step by step in a simple manner. To change over into the step-by-step shift gate from the conventional automatic shifting operation, it is necessary to mount the selector lever pivotably via a selector axis. It is furthermore necessary to fix the selector lever in the step-by-step shift gate.
A selector means for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle has been known from DE 44 26 207, in which the selector lever can be pivoted to and fro between two different shift gates. The first shift gate makes possible the automatic operation, and the second shift gate makes possible a manual step-by-step shifting. To make this shifting device as compact as possible, the selector axis and the shifting axis of the selector lever were placed in a common plane. Furthermore, the two axes are orthogonal to one another. To change over from the automatic operation to manual operation, the selector lever is pivoted into the step-by-step shift gate. It now engages guide elements of a complementary design, which pick up and forward the signals of the manual shifting operation. This shifting device is complicated and therefore expensive as a consequence of a large number of components.
Furthermore, DE 195 26 059 discloses a shifting device for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, in which a selector lever is pivotable within a gear shifting gate around a selector axis that is located lower than it and is held in the shift positions P, R, N and D by spring forces acting at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the gear shifting gate against locking means located offset in relation to one another on the side, which locking means are associated with the shift positions. The selector axis of the selector lever is mounted in an intermediate part by means of a universal joint, the intermediate part being mounted pivotably around the selector axis on a housing that is a rigid part of the vehicle body, and the selector lever can be pivoted manually relative to the intermediate part in the selected shift position (D) associated with the automatic shifting around a drag bearing located higher than the selector axis in the direction of the selection movement to bridge over shifting contacts for the step-by-step shifting of the gears of the transmission.